| Enforcement of Child Support |
| When a court enters an order of child support, it orders one party to pay a certain sum of money to another for the support of a child. The person who is ordered to pay is called the obligor. The person who received the payment is the obligee. The amount of child support that is payable is usually based on state law that takes into consideration the number of children for which an obligor is responsible and the amount of income the obligor earns from all sources. More... |
| Adoption Assistance & Child Welfare Act |
| The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (Act) was passed by Congress in 1980. Lawmakers were concerned that many children were being removed from their homes unnecessarily and that, once they entered foster care, inadequate efforts were made to either reunify them with their biological families or place them with adoptive families. The Act was passed to correct or alleviate problems in the foster care system and to promote permanency rather than multiple foster placements. An additional goal of the Act was to encourage social workers to work toward reunification of the family and to avoid long-term foster care for the children if possible. If the child could not be returned to the family, another plan was to be sought such as adoption, long-term foster care, or some other resolution. More... |
| Same-Sex Marriages |
| A same-sex marriage is defined as a marriage between two individuals of the same gender. The issue of same-sex marriages is a hotly debated topic. In the most recent election in the United States, more than ten states voted to amend their state constitution's and define a marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Most other nations do not recognize same-sex marriages as legally valid, nor do they allow them to occur. More... |
| Hiring an Elder Law Attorney |
| With an aging population in the United States, elder law is becoming a recognized and specialized area of law. An elder law attorney focuses his or her practice on issues that effect the elderly population. More... |
| Emancipation of Children |
| When a child is emancipated, the child's parents have no further duty to support the child. In addition, parents have no right to control an emancipated child's behavior or make certain decisions for the child. More... |
Gerald C. Patch
